TERRITORY AND CULTURE

GRAF has always believed in the dialogue between the world of work and the world of education, in the conviction that an effective and proactive relationship between training institutions and the world of work is the key to promote the development of skills, employment, well-being and social progress.

For this reason, as a Group we are committed to supporting training and school guidance, aiming to offer young people, who represent the future of both society and the world of work, the added value provided by our long experience as innovators in the industrial world.

Over the years, we have initiated numerous projects with schools of different levels and universities, with the aim of enhancing the territory and supporting the growth of the new generations. These initiatives have allowed us to create a continuous and constructive dialogue with the world of young people, offering them training opportunities that favour their personal and professional development, while at the same time enriching our company with new perspectives. We have also welcomed internships and supported several dissertations inspired by our research and development projects, as well as other specific areas of our business.

Our activities are mainly targeted at middle schools, high schools, and universities, with the aim of providing concrete tools for the involvement, orientation and preparation of young talents.

It starts with robotics and computer science workshops aimed at middle school students to encourage “hands-on” orientation in choosing high schools and enhance technical and scientific education for students and families;

It then moves on to practical challenges and contests for high school students, with an original team competition that confronts students with technical problems similar to those they will encounter in the world of work, weighing up pros and cons, costs and benefits, the effectiveness of the solution and the ability to argue to convince them of the goodness of one’s solution, as would happen during a business meeting;

And we go as far as participating in university Steering Committees and setting up research and development laboratories directly within universities, where students, interns and GRAF staff work side by side, creating knowledge and innovation.

Among the projects we have supported we find:

1. GRAF Industries computer and robotics workshops for middle schools, aimed at school orientation and STEM enhancement.
2. The purchase of technical-scientific material and measuring instruments for middle schools.
3. The GRAF IDEAS CONTEST, the original ideas competition aimed at students in the fourth grade of high schools in Emilia Romagna and Veneto, in collaboration with a local company. In addition to prizes, the winners are given the opportunity to carry out a summer internship in the company.
4. Speaking at various “Factory Days” and “Career Days” at high schools and universities.
5. Support for the participation of technical high schools in the European CANSAT initiative, promoted by the European Space Agency (ESA) and aimed at building a small satellite that is launched at an altitude of approximately 1,000 metres, with the purpose of carrying out missions of a technical-scientific nature.
6. GRAF Industries’ involvement in the Steering Committee of the Degree Course in Electronic Engineering at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
7. The supply of technological instruments and technical personnel for the realisation of scientific laboratories in collaboration with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.